Reversible front cuff link



y 1952 w. H. MEEKER 2,598,281

I REVERSIBLE FRONT CUFF LINK Filed Aug. 29, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 J0 h v 0 it Fl 7. Z g

1? @QiiQQQ 38 54 INVENTOR 27 1 Q l Villl'am H fileker 2828 g ATTORNEYS y 1952 w. H. MEEKER 2,598,281

REVERSIBLE FRONT CUFF LINK Filed Aug. 29, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 T ip 11 W538 ill Vl iilz'am H Mee/hv' BY 9%m ATTORNEYS Patented May 27, 1952 REVERSIBLE FRONT CUFF LINK William H. Meeker, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to HickokManufacturing Company, Inc., Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 29, 1949, Serial No. 112,979 7 This invention relates to member for cuff links.

One object of the present invention is to provide a cuif link having a reversible front'member carrying contrasting colors or other differing design characteristics on its inner and outer faces to be displayed to view, interchangeably, as may be desired by the wearer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cuff link including a reversible front member composed of an ornamental metal or other element or shell carrying against the inner face thereof a stone or other element of substantially the same shape as the shape of the shell and having different color or design on its outer surface from that of the ornamental metal or other shell element.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a cuff link including a reversible front member carrying contrasting colorsor designs on opposite faces thereof and in which the reversible front member is frictionally or otherwise releasably held in the selected position of reversal.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cuff link provided with a reversible front member having differing ornamental characteristics on the inner and outer faces thereof for exposure to view, interchangeably, and thereby providing in the one cuif link, a front member capable of manipulation to provide, in use, a two-in-o'ne ornamental cuif link.

It is still a further object of the instant invention to provide a reversible front member for a cuff link carrying differing ornamental characteristics on the inner and outer faces thereof for interchangeable positioning of the front mem ber to view on the wearer.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of or sacrificing of any advantages of the invention. r

In the accompanying drawings, the various views are'shown enlarged for the purpose of clearness, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the cuff link illustrating the front member in one operative position with relation to the shank; 7

a reversible front 11 Claims. (01. 24-102) Figure 2 is a similar view showing the front member in'reversed position to that shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, the dotted lines indicating a position of the front member at a position of one-half turn of the same from one position to the other with relation to the shank or the head member carried by the shank;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the front member in dotted lines at approximately 45 on its turning movement from one position to a reversed position; v

Figure 5 is an enlarged view, partly in section and partly in elevation, taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3; I i

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 3; v

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of the inner end of the cuff link, showing the connection of the inner securing member of the link;

Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view, illustrating parts of the head member and the front member before the parts are assembled;

Figure 9 is an inverted plan view of the shell of the front member;

Figure 10 is a cross sectional view on the line 10-10 of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is an inverted plan View of the shell of the front member;

Figure 12 is a longitudinal sectional viewon the line l2l2 of Figure 11;

Figure 13 is a side elevation of the upper section of the head member;

Figure 14 is a cross sectional view on the line |4'-l4 of Figure 13;

Figure 15 is an inverted plan view of the upper section of the hollow head;

Figure 16 is a plan view of the lower section ofthe hollow head member;

Figure 17 is a side elevation of the lower section of the head member; and I Figure 18 is a cross sectional view on the line 18-18 of Figure 17.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the reference character 19 indicates, generally, a shank, upon which is mounted a head member 26, there being an inner attaching means indicated generally at 2!, the outer or front member of the cuff link being indicated, generally, by the reference character 22.

The shank i9 is illustrated as composed mainly of a short stem 23 and an aligning, substantially U-shaped element, both riveted rigidly together in longitudinal alignment and the latter includ ing spaced legs 24 and an inner connecting bight portion 25.

The legs 24 of the shank preferably converge slightly to the rear of the cuff link and they are slightly resilient and at their free ends the rear attaching member or bar 2| is pivoted on a suitable pivot 21 so that the bar 2| may be swung inwardly between the legs in the plane of the axis of the shank or turned laterally of the shank at the rear end thereof to be concealed from view behind the wearer's sleeve cuff. The bar 2| may be swung on its pivot in either of opposite positions and is preferably of metal.

To hold the inner rear member or bar 2| in reversed or adjusted positions, a frictional holding means is provided in the form of semispherical spaced protuberances 28 formed on the inner side faces of the legs 24 adjacent said pivot 21 for coaction with sets of sockets 29 formed on the side faces of member 2| on opposite sides of the pivot 21. The resiliency of the legs 24 with said sets of protuberances 23 and the said sets of sockets 29 maintain the bar 2| in releasable adjusted positions, the protuberances snapping into the sockets.

The aforesaid short stem 23 has its inner end riveted at 30 or otherwise secured in an aperture 3| in the bight portion 25 of the said U-shaped portion of the shank, there being a small stop plate 32 fixed on or formed with said stem and resting on said bight portion 25 to coact with the riveted end 3|] of the said stem to hold the stem and the U-shaped member in tight aligning connection.

A small substantially oblong shaped plate 33 is fixedly secured to the outer end of the stem. 23 or formed therewith. A rectangular shaped head member indicated generally at 20 is fixedly secured to said small oblong shaped plate 33 by soldering or otherwise.

The hollow head, indicated generally at 20, is preferably composed of thin sheet metal and consists of upper and lower telescoping sections 35 and 36, respectively. Each of these telescoping sections has oppositely disposed aligning slots 31 and 38, respectively, in their side walls. All of these slots open outwardly through the free edges of the walls of the respective sections. The inner ends of the respective slots are closed and curved as shown at 39, so that as the sections 35 and 33 are telescoped together, the respective slots of the respective sections form oppositely disposed round bearings in the opposite sides of the hollow head. These sections may be held frictionally together, soldered or otherwise united. Before the head sections 35 and 35 are brought into operative telescoping relation, a pin 4|, square in cross section throughout its length, is positioned between the said sections in alignment with the aforesaid slots 31 and 38 of the sections when the sections may be brought together and said square pin disposed in said bearings 40, as can be readily gathered from the exploded view, Figure I 8, and with the square ends of the square pin projecting slightly beyond the bearings 40 and the sides of the head 25, as shown particularly in Figures 5 and 6. The square shaped pin 4| as shown as four-sided, presenting fiat faces 42, 43,

44 and 45 with intervening relatively sharp corner edges 45, 41, 48 and 49 between the flat faces for purposes presently explained.

Before the head sections 35 and 3B are connected together and before the pin 4| is mounted in its aforesaid bearings 40, a flexible bowed spring 50 is disposed within the lower section of the sectional head 36, being secured therein at one end thereof as at 5|. This spring is provided to continuously engage said square pin 4| to hold the pin 4| normally against rotation in the aforesaid bearings 40 in the hollow head 28 and to normally engage at its intermediate or bowed portion a flat face, say for instance, face 42, to normally hold the pin 4| frictionally against rotation and which is rotatable only under the influence of a swinging movement of the front member 22 as will be hereinafter understood.

The front member 22, in the present instance, is composed of a metal or other shell 52 including a marginal flange 53. The shell has a recess 54 extending inwardly from one end thereof and this marginal flange 53 extends into the recess 54, forming oppositely disposed flange portions 55 and 55 having rectangular shaped notches 5'1 and 58 respectively as shown particularly in Figures 8 and 11.

A colored or otherwise ornamented stone 59 or the like, in any event, a stone or the like contrasting with the shell, is mounted within the shell and secured therein as by cementing or otherwise or held in the shell 52 by the marginal flange 53, including a recess 60 having shoulders 6| and 52 against which the free edges of said flanges 55 and 55 rest. The stone or other member 59 has oppositely disposed flat-sided tapering sockets 63 and 64 in the sides of the recess 60 and which sockets 53 and 64 align with the aforesaid notches 51 and-58 in the respective shell flanges 55 and 56. These sockets 63 and 54 receive by way of the notches 51 and 58 the rectangular shaped ends of the aforesaid square pin 4| to thereby provide a non-turnable or interlocking connection between the square pin 4| and the front member 22. The taper of the said sockets 63 and 54 in the stone or other member 59, facilitates seating of the ends of the pin 4| in the stone part of the front member and effects a Wedging action between the ends of the pin and the flat walls of the sockets to prevent relative movement of the pin and the front member.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that in the present instance, the front member is supported in cooperative relation with the head member on said pin 4|. The front member normally embraces the sides of the head member at one or the other end of the head member and is so held by the friction of the aforesaid spring member 58 against the pin 4|, as may be gathered from reference to Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8.

Ihe pin 4| rotates only under the influence of a swinging movement of the front member, being held normally against rotation by the aforesaid spring 50 in constant engagement with said pin as previously stated. For instance, the pin 4| is provided with a plurality of fiat faces and intervening corners as stated, by referring to Figure 3, it is seen that the front member 22 is disposed at the right hand end of the head 20 and the aforesaid spring-pressing against the fiat face 42 of the square pin 4|. To rotate the pin 4|, the front member 22 is turned from the position shown in Figure 3 to the left and upon reaching approximately a 45 of swinging movement, the'corner edge 41 of the pin rides on the bowed portion of the spring, depressing the latter; slightly as shown in Figure 4. A continued turning movement of the front member carries said corner edge 4'! out of engagement with the bowed portion of the spring 50 and the flat face 43 of the pin into engagement with the bowed portion of the spring 50. Continuing the turning movement of the front member to the left, the corner edge 48 of the pin rides onto the spring, the bowed portion of the spring being again depressed. Further turning of the front member to the left, brings the-flat face 44 into engagement with the bowed portion of the spring 59, this being the end of the swinging movement of the front member to the left to the position illustrated in Figure 1 when the flat face 44 of the pin 4| takes the frictional thrust of the spring 59 and holds the front member in its reversed position. Where the front member is swung to the right from the position shown in Figure 1 back to the position shown in Figure '3, the pin 4| rides reversely over the aforesaid spring 50. It will be apparent that the corner edge 49 of the pin 4| cooperates with the other corner edges of the pin to provide for an even balance of the rotation of the pin 4| in the round bearings 49 in the sides of the hollow head member 20.

As will be understood, when the front member 22 is in either of the positions illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the bowed portion of the spring 59 is in engagement with one of the fiat faces of the pin 4|, the spring acting to securely hold the front member in adjusted position. Any tendency of the front member 22 to accidentally swing outwardly and rotate the pin 4| is resisted by increased holding pressure of the spring 50 against the pin 4| through an adjacent corner portion of the pin 4|, the construction, however, permitting of the ready manual swinging of the front member 22 to reverse the same.

A swingingly supported reversible front member having differing ornamental characteristics on its inner and outer faces and having a recess to receive the head of the shank, of the type disclosed in this application, is also disclosed in applications Ser. No. 111,640, filed August 22, 1949, and Ser. No. 111,917, filed August 23, 1949. This is not broadly claimed in the present application but is broadly claimed in application Ser. No. 111,640. The claims in the present application are directed to the special pivotal mounting of the reversible front member and the particular means for holding the front member with either face thereof disposed in display position, disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:

l. A reversible cuif link, including a shank, a substantially oblong shaped hollow head secured to one end of the shank, a normally inactive rotatable pin mounted in the hollow head and having its ends projecting through opposite sides of the hollow head, a reversible front memher having differing ornamental characteristics on its inner and outer faces and positionable at either end of said head and having interlocking connection with the projecting ends of said pin to swingingly support the front member in cooperative relation with said head and to rotate said pin upon a swinging movement of said front member in either direction to position the front member at opposite ends of the hollow member, interchangeably, and to thereby interchangeably present the said inner and outer faces of the front member to view, and a spring mounted in the hollow head in constant frictional engagement with said pin to normally resist rotary movement of the pin and swinging movement of the front member.

2. A reversible cufi link including a shank, a hollow head secured to the shank, a reversible front member havingdiflering ornamental characteristics on its inner and outer faces, the said front member embracing thehollow head, and means for swingingly supporting the front member for reverse positioning at opposite ends of the head to present the inner and outer faces of the front member outwardly, interchangeably, and for releasably holding the front member in its reversed positions on the hollow head, comprising a rotatable pin mounted in said head and projecting therefrom and having interlocking connection with the front member and rotatable in opposite directions under the influence of swinging movement of the front member, and a flexible spring in the hollow head in constant frictional engagement with said pin.

3. A reversible cuif link, including a shank, a hollow head secured to the shank, a reversible front member having embracing relation with the hollow head, and means for swingingly supporting the front member for reverse positioning onsaid head to present its inner and outer faces outwardly, interchangeably, and for releasably holding the front member in its reversed positions on the hollow head, comprising a pin mounted in the hollow head and projecting at its ends from the hollow head and having interlocking connection with said front member, said pin being rotatable in opposite directions only under the influence of swinging movement of the front member and having a plurality of flat portions, and a flexible spring in the hollow head having constant frictional engagement with said pin and by engagement of said spring with said flat surfaces of the pin, interchangeably, holding the front member in operative relation in either of its positions, releasably, on said hollow head.

4. A reversible cuff link, including a shank, a hollow head on the outer end of the shank having aligning bearings in opposite side walls thereof, a pin in the hollow head and mounted in said bearings, said pin being square in cross section throughout its length and at its ends projecting through said bearings slightly beyond the respective side walls of the hollow head, a reversible front member having differing ornamental characteristics on its inner and outer faces and also having a recess to embrace the hollow head and in the side walls of said recess having aligning flat sided sockets in which said projecting ends of said pin are fitted to swingingly support the front member with relation to said head and to prevent turning of the pin relative to the front member, and a flexible spring in the hollow head having constant frictional engagement with said pin to normally hold the front member in its reversed positionings, interchangeably, on said hollow head.

5. A reversible cuff link, including a shank, a substantially oblong shaped hollow head secured to one end of the shank, a normally inactive rotatable pin mounted in said hollow head and square in cross section throughout its length and having its ends projecting beyond the sides of the hollow head, a reversible front member having a recess therein embracing said head, said recess having oppositely disposed flat-sided sockets therein in which the projecting ends of said head are fitted to swingingly support the front member in embracing relation with said head, said front member being positionable at either end of said head and having differing ornamental characteristics on its inner and outer faces, whereby a turning movement of said front member rotates said pin with the front member and swings the latter in either direction to position the front member at opposite ends of the hollow head, interchangeably, and to thereby interchangeably display the said inner and outer faces of the front member, and a flexible spring in the hollow head in constant frictional engagement with said pin and cooperating therewith to normally resist movements of the pin and the front member.

6. A reversible cuff link, including a shank, a hollow head secured to one end of said shank, a friction device mounted in the hollow head including a normally inactive pin projecting at its ends through the hollow head and a flexible spring in constant frictional engagement with said pin, and a turnable front member for positioning at opposite ends of the head, interchangeably, and having interlocking connection with said projecting ends of said pin to rotate the latter simultaneously with a swinging movement of the front member to reverse the positions of the latter.

7. A reversible cufi link including a shank, a head secured to one end of the shank, a normal- 1y inactive rotatable pin carried by the head and a spring carried by the head to hold said pin normally against rotation, and a reversible front member having interlocking connection with said pin whereby to rotate said pin against the resisting action of said spring and reverse the positions of said front member.

8. A reversible cuff link as defined in claim '7, wherein said pin has a plurality of flat portions for engagement by said spring.

9. A reversible cuff link as defined in claim 7, wherein said spring is of elongated bowed form, and said pin has a plurality of flat portions for engagement by the spring.

10. A reversible cull link as defined in claim 7, wherein end portions of the pin project from opposite sides of said head and the front member has interlocking connections with said projecting end portions of the pin, andthe front member being provided with a recess to receive said head and the side walls of the recess straddle the head.

11. A reversible cufi link as defined in claim 7, wherein said head is hollow and the spring is disposed within the hollow head.

WILLIAM H. MEEKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,518,989 Lindsay Dec. 9, 1924 2,182,502 Salisbury Dec. 5, 1939 

